Festival in the Moonlight
by GeneralUnrest
Summary: [Warnings: End game spoilers, YurixFlynn] It's been five years since incident with the Adephagos and things have settled down greatly for the Commandant in Zaphias. So much so he's finally found time to reflect on himself and where he stands now the worst of the trouble has passed.


It had been a "slow" day. Not many knights dropped by to report compared to the level he had adjusted to over the years. Doing nothing wasn't really an option so he took to extra paperwork he hadn't had as much time for. The better part of the day was spent at his desk writing in silence save for the sound of quill to paper.

Things had really slowed down over the past few years. It had only started to sink in recently, but now that the reconstruction at the Lower Quarter had completed and relations all around had improved, Flynn was less and less swamped with work and spending more time looking for things to get done. So many goals were set coming into this and now many were finished with. Relations between the Empire and all other parties had improved vastly with Ioder and the council working together. Flynn could regularly patrol any part of the city and be met with nothing but peace and smiling faces.

Even in Aurnion, which he visited occasionally, was full of people who met him with respect and the same sort of happiness even before it had spread over the capital. The spirit of these people always reminded him of his direction or the right direction when things became unclear. Now these people did not need him so often and flourished with the all the groups in the world having a hang in their survival and upkeep.

Zaphias had very much become the sort of place he had fought for. It would be many more years before this change had set in more steadily, but the knights and law were set for every person equally. Knights underwent heavy training and anyone outside the newly acceptable behavior for a knight was generally found out and corrected however much it was needed. After a few years, Flynn found he wasn't needed to "police" every single knight, as his captains and their followers all the way down the chain had taken up this behavior for themselves.

This left him with fewer and fewer duties. No longer did he need to work day and night or push himself to the edge. It left behind a void, one he filled with whatever tasks he could take on himself, even if they were below his station as Commandant. He didn't care what it might be however. It didn't feel right to be empty-handed.

Flynn's paperwork ran out in the middle of the evening. Quill in hand, he remained at the desk, still trying to work out how to carry on with the rest of the time he had. Sleeping at this hour wasn't viable and the rest of the necessary duties were cleared out.

A patrol. These were already well organized ad plotted out, but he took up one upon himself in a route he knew would not be passed at the same time. It wasn't a necessary function or very dangerous. The streets even in the lower quarter had become much safer, however the urge to get out remained.

Half-patrol half-strolling, Flynn walked through the new less familiar streets of the lower quarter with an absent expression. Things had changed so much from the vision of this place he had in the back of his mind from years ago. At no point could he forget those images, but he had always focused on the future of these streets in the forefront. Walking around like this made the roads feel emptier than he remembered them however. Everyone one else remained at home, safe and sleeping by this hour.

His footsteps fell slow as he came to an older alleyway he recognized. Each pace metered, he let himself in the narrow space, eyes soon finding the object he recalled. With care in the weight of his armor, he pulled himself up the ladder onto the rooftop. Once up, he realized this tiling was new, but not so different he couldn't traverse it much in the way he had many years ago. Either he had grown or the house had gotten smaller; it seemed like there was so much more space here when he was younger. Looking up to the Sword Stair from here the change in the city was more obvious than from the ground. So much was different and the thought left him with an odd sensation.

_This must be what it feels like to be getting old._

The sudden idea would have been more amusing if it didn't feel so true. He let out a sigh and allowed himself to lay back. It wasn't exactly comfortable, but gave a better view of the night sky. Stars shone with a clarity they didn't use to have when the barriers were still in place. The moon too lit up the sky more completely, almost overwhelming it.

Despite that light it was only half full, but waning, threatening to fade out in the next few days. His thoughts wandered over that territory, trying to remember the last time he saw it like this and what the occasion was. The moon always hung in the sky, it didn't matter where he was standing from or what he was doing. In that it was constant, just not always in the same form. Ideas became more scattered and less reliable; soon sputtering out into a silvery color.

The streets were paved in that same color, seeming to glitter in the light from a distant sun. Atmosphere felt light, air thin, but it wasn't enough to really put him at a stop. The streets of the Lower Quarter were full of unfamiliar faces, all passing around him with starry-eyed expression and lips parted for laughter shared among their friends or simply smiling and happy to be there. Whichever direction he turned people were walking, passing and moving on by him while he himself got trapped in the middle of traffic. Linked hands and closely paced groups kept him from really pushing through or getting very far. Looking up to the Sword Stair, he found that at least it was empty and probably free from all the mess in town. Maybe if he could get that far, there would be a little relief. Working with the motions of the others around him, Flynn tried to make progress, but couldn't get too far too fast. The process set a sore feeling in the center of his chest. Everyone around him was smiling, laughing and having a good time like this was some kind of festival. It must have been.

He must have been the only one struggling through the sea of people going in every direction. Still, he had something of a goal and that would do for now. Passing through the castle once he reached the steps was a little easier and soon enough he was making his way up the Sword Stair, just letting his feet carrying him up the distance. At a particular platform he stopped. From the length he had been away he couldn't tell, but now he could see there was just one person up here. Once the clatter of armor ceased and Flynn was still, only then did the figure turn and face him with a smile. Yuri's eyes weren't quite as bright as everyone else's, but the smile at his lips was steady and sure as it usually was. Flynn took a few paces closer, his mood lifting now that he found a face he could recognize.

Yuri set his hand at his hip and shook his head, grinning a bit crookedly once Flynn halted again. "What're you doing out here?" he asked, his tone somewhat vague. Flynn opened his mouth to reply, but realized shortly that he had no idea what to say.

At that he snapped awake, sitting up and looking around him. It wasn't morning so he couldn't have been asleep for too long. Groggy and confused, Flynn pushed himself up, swaying slightly from the imbalance at the incline of the roof. Maybe another moment to adjust, but standing around had a way of sounding unattractive. With some luck, he managed to maneuver down the ladder and back into the alleyway, making for a very slow trip back toward the castle.

He couldn't say he knew exactly what that was about. It left an unpleasant feeling behind.

His room was dark when he returned and he found he was pretty much dragging himself inside. A shuffle within catches his eye and a form on the bed shifts upright.

"Yuri...how did you...?" he started to ask, but realized he didn't really need to. Still, Yuri grins and stands up to face him properly.

"Window wasn't locked. Didn't think you'd leave it open when you were gone," he replied anyway, his eyes following him in the dark and Flynn shut the door. Just enough moonlight filtered in they could see each other's features as long as they weren't on complete opposite sides of the room.

There was a silence as Flynn searched for an answer, not sure where to even begin with him. "Did you wait long?"

"Ages. If I didn't know better, I'd guess you fell asleep on the job out there or something."

Another quiet second set in before Flynn broke it with a small, nervous laugh. It was then Yuri became a bit more suspicious of him. A few steps closer and Yuri stood within reach of him, eyes locked onto his. Through that look it became very clear he intended to know the rest of the story somehow.

Flynn glanced aside before setting his gaze on Yuri's. Any other day and he probably would have had an excuse or something else to move onto, but muddled as he was nothing seemed to come up. "I went to where we used to look at the Sword Stair sometimes. It wasn't quite the way I remembered it."

Yuri's eyes narrowed for a moment, but soon enough his expression relaxed slightly. "I remember that...Guess it wouldn't be the same, considering all the work on the city. I bet you could see it pretty good though. When we were kids it felt like we could see the whole city from there."

"I guess I did see a lot. More than I expected," Flynn admitted, his gaze turning aside once more. "The sky doesn't light like up quite like it used to."

"Back in our day, right?" Yuri asked with a bit more of a sense of humor now, his smile steady and sure.

"Sort of. Now is our day too just as much, isn't it?"

Yuri hummed thoughtful, stepping back and crossing his arms. "I guess so, but you already got it this far. It's not exactly like it was when you started. So...I think it's probably a new day. You don't have to make it as your's."

Flynn wasn't sure if Yuri didn't understand or he did understand and he was just simplifying and somehow complicating it all at the same time. "There's always more I could do to make it better though. I want to keep working, if that makes it mine, that's fine."

Yuri raised an eyebrow at that, his head tilting slightly as he did. "You work all the time, Flynn. Take a break, go climb more rooftops or something. You don't have to attach yourself to the castle all the time."

"I work exactly as much as I'm needed."

"You work way too damn much, Flynn. Even I can tell you don't need to. You act like you got all the work in the world to do, but you really don't. Last time you told me you were busy you could've easily handed that stuff off." Yuri raised his voice, just a little, his gaze shooting right for Flynn's with no intention of turning away.

"I can't hand something off I already started, Yuri. I didn't like turning you away, if you're trying to get at something," Flynn snapped back, his eyes locking onto Yuri's in return.

"Maybe I don't like getting turned away either. The last couple times I've dropped by here you either had to take off or you were acting strange."

"I am _not _acting strange. I never have."

Yuri took one step closer, eyes narrowed into a glare. "I don't know what the hell is wrong with you, but you could at least not lie to my face."

The discomfort Flynn was already feeling stirred at that, his spine straightening as he took to holding himself up like he had every intention of fighting Yuri's reply there. He knew he was right and still he couldn't curb that feeling. "I'm not lying to you, I'm doing everything like I always have!"

Yuri held his ground;they were both practiced enough in arguing with each other that he at least seemed to know what to expect. "You think maybe that's your problem, Flynn?"

"I don't have a problem!" Flynn's hand went for Yuri's collar, grasping it tight, but within a moment his shoulders go slack and his hand loosens. "...I don't need to yell at you."

"You don't," Yuri affirmed in a flat tone.

It took another few seconds, but eventually, Flynn let Yuri go, cooled himself off with a deep breath and moved to sit on the edge of the bed. There's no caution in Yuri's movement, he simply strode over and sat next to him. Flynn didn't have the heart to look over his way; he silently accepted his presence and that was the best he had.

The silence remained a few minutes before Yuri leaned forward and tried to look into Flynn's face, his expression expectant. There he stayed until Flynn finally met his eyes.

"This is the part where you're supposed to tell me what the problem is," Yuri whispered. "Sticking around for it sort of a pain."

The words were spoken with a well meaning nature, at least enough for Yuri, but Flynn still wasn't sure how to respond at first. It takes awhile for him to put words together, but despite what he had said, Yuri remained patiently at his side.

"No...You're right. I don't...have all the things to do that I used to. Zaphias is safe and so is a lot of the world."

"So? It's a good thing. Exactly what we both wanted, right?"

Flynn nodded, pausing there to try and figure out how to go on. "That's what's right and what everyone needed. They're all so much happier, Yuri..."

Yuri let out something of a sound of acknowledgment, working out his own reply too. "We did what we said we would. You probably better than I did. They're smiling, you got every reason to be happy."

"I don't know if I'm happy." The phrase spilled out of his mouth before he gave it thought. He had to backtrack, to explain that. "No no...I meant. I'm happy for everyone, but I, personally...well in other ways..."

Yuri stared for a good long moment, but considering Flynn couldn't even keep his eyes on him anymore Flynn had no idea how he was able to work out anything he was meaning. "You're not happy, Flynn?"

"I am! But not in..." He groaned and slumped more heavily into the bed, hanging his head. This was hopeless. "Nevermind..."

"Don't nevermind this. Here look..." Yuri started, sitting up a bit higher next to him, a little closer. "You gotta be smiling and if you're not...that's fine. We just work on making you happy next."

"It's really not a big-"

"No, Flynn. You count in our promise. I want you happy too. So just for once, let's focus on Flynn, alright?" Even in the just the moonlight Flynn could tell Yuri was grinning. The man was amused with this, but at the same time honest about it. Frustration started to pick up as Flynn's leading feeling, however he let it go with a sigh.

"'Let's' then? You...sound like you have a plan."

"'Course I do. First of all, you're gonna have to come around and see me more often. Gotta make sure you're actually smiling."

Flynn wasn't too sure about that at first, there was something suspicious about it, but at the same time it came across endearingly too. "Alright...then?"

"Then I'll see if I can't make you happy. At least a little bit," he answered more quietly this time, like it was important. "If you don't mind?"

"I don't mind...I prefer it."

Those words put a more gentle smile on Yuri's face and he took up Flynn's hand as if he meant to have him shake on it, but he simply held instead. "If you'll have me around, I'll be here, Flynn."

It felt like he was melting in Yuri's hand like that, even through all the armor. Those words felt like they couldn't have ever come fast enough. It's slow, but his face cracks into a softer smile and he nods. "I'd have you here, Yuri. Stay, please."


End file.
